Destination: Long-Drive Camps

[slontwovvy]

My PLC wants to go to a summer camp or a high adventure camp far away from our home in Wisconsin. I would like to make this a forum for anyone having suggestions as to places to go--maybe places off of the beaten path, but that are unique or especially fun destinations, council camps worth the drive, etc. Thanks for the input!!!

[sst3rd]

The camp our Troop attends, has got to be one of the best on the east coast. Blue Ridge Council has a reservation that's one of the biggest. They run two traditional camps, Camp Powhatan and Camp Ottari. These camps are back to back in location. This Scout Reservation is located near Blacksburg, Virginia. Each camp has the standard set up, but the additional programs are incredible. High Knoll, is backpacking in the Blue Ridge mountains, Aquatics Camp is on Claytor Lake, Mountain Man Camp, New River Adventure, Fish Camp, etc.. They are a little expensive, but the programs, equipment, and Staff are excellent. The Spirit the Staff shows, is a Scoutmaster's dream come true. They will go out of their way to make a Troop's summer camp program successful on all levels. I forgot their website address, but "search" for it. It should come up quick. At least request a camp guide and review it. There probably are no spots for this year, but you might find a cancellation somewhere. Just for the record, our Troop is NOT from this camp's Council, yet we consider it our "home" camp.

[eisely]

Here in California there are several great camps. There are numerous camps in the Sierras operated by different councils. One our troop enjoyed was Camp Oljato. I don't recall who operated it.

 

Our council operates a camp in the Sierras called Camp Wolfboro. This is on a fork of the Stanislaus River close to mother lode territory.

 

The Los Angeles council operates a camp on Catalina Island called Emerald Bay. I never went there, but my two sons who did, and others I know, loved it. They offer scuba and Oceanography merit badge, along with the normal badges offered at camp.

 

The troop I am with now goes to Camp Royaneh operated by the San Francisco council. This is on a tributary to the Russian River north of San Francisco. This camp has no boating program, but has a great swimming program. One unique program they have is horse back riding.

 

One camp to avoid is Camp Pitchess, also operated by the Los Angeles Council. I found it very disappointing.

 

The Scouter.com website has links to numerous camps. Good luck. Such a venture so far away from home will be costly and time consuming, but the boys will remember it forever.

[Dedicated Dad]

We use to go on two-week portages through the Boundary Waters north of Duluth on the Canada/US boarder. The Superior-Quetico area has Seagull-Saganaga-Northern Lights lakes that connect by easy portages and are/were truly wilderness areas. It to this day is the best trip/outing Ive ever been on. Try a couple long distance practice runs on the Fox River before you go and go in August when the skeeters and the flies are less obtrusive.

[evmori]

My Troop (Pittsburgh, PA) has made trips to Gettysburg & Niagara Falls. We try to keep the driving time to between 4-6 hours. This gives us a fairly big range of places to go (Philadelphia, DC, Williamsburg).

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

[Mike Long]

We also limit our range to a comfortable one day drive. With us being in Jacksonville, Florida that opens up everything from the keys to the Smokies. Our guys like the mountains though. This year we are attending Camp Rainy Mountian in north Georgia.

 

This March we will do a high adventure backpacking trip in the Smokies again.

 

What is your range or is it open ended? If you can get more specific maybe we can too.(This message has been edited by Mike Long)

[OldGreyEagle]

Hey Ed, I am in Bethlehem PA and some of our guys did the Yockagani (sp?) last year and want to do it again this summer. Want to meet up somewhere?

[evmori]

OGE,

Might be a good idea. Hey, I live near the Yough & I can't spell it. Actually, Ohiopyle is very near our council summer camp. Got any dates in mind?

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

[OldGreyEagle]

Not yet, Late summer is all I know, will let you know

[k9gold-scout]

Camp Loll - Trapper Trails Council UT located between Yellowstone and Grand Tejon NP, bring your own tent but worth it. Great adventure with prograns for both new and experienced scouts. Wonderfull staff and they can get you in with little notice.

 

[slontwovvy]

I might as well add something to the forum I started. Wisconsin has some excellent camps and trips. The Apostle Islands are a great sea-kayaking trip. Camp Tesomas (Samoset Council) has quite a bit of stuff to do, as does my beloved Bay-Lakes Council in the form of Camp Bear Paw (surrounded by a national forest) and Camp Gardner Dam (next to a Wild and Scenic River to go tubing and canoeing on). Come, discover Wisconsin.

[jmcquillan]

Although I've never done this myself, due to the fact that I live here, I have seen out of council (out of state) troops attend our summer camp with the intent of using it as a base camp from which they venture out on buses or in vans to visit the historical sites around the Greater Boston area (Concord, Lexington, Plymouth, Boston). Our camp, Camp Squanto, is located on the fringes of Miles Standish State Forest on the Carver/Plymouth town line in Massachusetts. One year at camp, a bus from Brooklyn, NY pulled into the parking lot, and a large troop arrived. At first I thought it was really nice that an inner city troop was getting out into the woods and visiting the origins of their countries history. Then, upon closer inspection, I found that the bus they arrived in was owned by the troop, and was plastered with decals of places they had been....from the east coast to the west coast of this country...as well as Europe...go figure. I suppose they didn't drive to Europe in the bus, though. :-)